Accused gunman's lawyer claims repo men had the wrong car

Shots were fired early Thursday as a repo man was trying to tow away a Mercedes Benz. The truck's rear windshield was shattered and the driver says one bullet lodged in the headrest behind his seat.

The 57-year-old man accused of shooting at two men repossessing his Mercedes Benz is being held without bond in the Broward County Jail, but his lawyer says the recovery agents were towing the wrong car.

At Juan A. Barquero’s first court appearance Saturday, Broward Judge Jennifer Hilal told his defense attorney what was at stake.

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“This is a punishable by life [in prison] crime,” she said.

Barquero’s attorney told the judge the black 2010 Mercedes E350 was not supposed to be repossessed.

Barquero’s home, in the 6100 block of Southwest 190th Avenue in Southwest Ranches, is surrounded by a fence with a gate.

His lawyer said Barquero had no reason to believe the two men were repossessing the car when they broke through the gate and hooked up the Mercedes about 1 a.m. Thursday.

Juan Barquero, 57, of Southwest Ranches, was ordered jailed without bond on a charge of attempted murder, records show (Broward Sheriff's Office, courtesy)

According to the Davie police report, Barquero was armed with a handgun when he and another man went outside to confront the men and ordered them to return the car.

With their hands in the air and saying they wanted no trouble, the men identified themselves as employees of Gryphon Recovery, showed their credentials and said they had orders from a bank to repossess the car, investigators said.

Barquero said, “he did not care and, again, ordered the victims at gunpoint to lower his car,” the report stated.

Later Thursday, police conducted a traffic stop on Sheridan Street near Interstate 75 and arrested Barquero driving a white Mercedes. He was carrying a concealed weapons permit but no guns were found in the car, investigators said.

Police found several firearms and accessories in his home and seven 9mm bullet casings outside but no 9mm handgun was found, detectives said.

Barquero’s attorney told the judge this was all a misunderstanding but she disagreed.

“The allegations are that as the tow truck is driving away he shot seven rounds into the tow truck, one of them hitting the driver’s side headrest,” Hilal said. “I find probable cause exists for the charges [and] I’m going to be holding him, no bond.”

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Barqeuro is charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated assault, and firing a missile into an occupied vehicle, records show.